musicAddicted

5. Supersilent - 10
4. The Knife - Tomorrow, In a Year
3. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
2. Daníel Bjarnason - Processions
1. Owen Pallett - Heartland

(Listen to the samples and read my descriptions below.
Don’t forget to check ranks 10-6 & top alternative albums of 2010. Also, check top 5 pop singles.)

    5. Supersilent - 10

Minimalism and cold uniformity of covers that are differed just by colour and number from each other, have always been in contrast with the diversity and multi-varied music of Norwegian trio Supersilent, whose compositions range from free jazz, to avant-garde electronics, to traditional, acoustic jazz. And this year’s record, 10, contains the least experimentalism and fully concentrate the time and effort into the melody and implicit musicality. Despite their more acoustic and melodic approach, 10 is still heavy listening, rich on dissonance, unclearly non-linear motives and depressingly dark harmonies. The resonance among the Ståle Storløkken’s piano, Arve Henriksen’s trumpet and frightening electronics of Helge Sten is a trip into murky corners of jazzy Bergen, where the old saying that the beauty is in simplicity is still valid.

    4. The Knife - Tomorrow, In a Year

Letting electro-pop group compose an opera about Charles Darwin is such weird decision, that it couldn’t end differently than with avant-garde, electro-acoustic experiment breaking many genre borders. Although the siblings from Swedish duo The Knife knew nothing about opera and classical music in the beginning, the result are tons of musical and scientific material absorbed. Serious music, evolution, Darwin, life itself. Tomorrow, In a Year is rather an electronic operetta which offers an outlook of the life’s evolution on the Earth and the evolution of music as well. From primitive, chilly synthetic rhythms, to serious, operatic vibrato singing, to electronic epic of these days. The album captures the time in its most aggregated form: in the run on epochs and ages of this world, through the darkness of inner universe and obstacles of the outer one. Despite of the scientific coldness, The Knife are humanly warm and demonstrate that they even after the outstanding Silent Shout, they are capable of creating music which surprises and innovates.

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

The collection of eighteen songs spreading around three discs is demanding work to listening so it’s almost unimaginable how one could compose, arrange, sing and edit so much material. Joanna Newsom is a professional with a soul fully devoted to her art and art as a form of expression. Have One On Me is subtle mega-album, filled with calm sadness and warm melancholy, that often culminates in wonderfully goose-bumping moments: such as dramatic In California or meditative Kingfisher (second best song of 2010). Newsom has already proofed that her lyrics are the top quality poetry and she’s master of her harp; Have One On Me is then another metamorphosis of her mythic and fairy-tale-inclining lyrics to the stories more personal, sensitive and even more fragile.

   2. Daníel Bjarnason - Processions

The trend of contemporary classical scene are simplistic minimalist compositions that are “just” instrumental version of simple songs played by classical instruments; you’ll find there piano playing through three octaves and crying strings quartet. Icelandic conductor Daníel Bjarnason chose opposite direction for his debut album; he used symphonic orchestra and gave solos to cello and piano, respectively, to lead two incredibly rich triptychs. He differs from his generational colleagues by maximalism that sparks form his music and majestic expression of his ideas. In the recent review I wrote that Processions are vigorous, stirring, but also cruel storm of emotions, where that storm is a work of mature artists, who knows how to impress and subdue his listener. This is the right direction, which should contemporary classical scene go.

    1. Owen Pallett - Heartland

Conceptual albums are a big challenge where the results have just two possibilities: perfection or an unsuccessful, cumbersome pastiche. Devoting the whole record to one complex theme in a way of deep and varied nuance, but also not too wide or ornamental, needs more than a talent and right estimation. In the few last year, just Joanna Newsom mastered wiles of conceptual art on her groundbreaking Ys and this year, Canadian multi-talented Owen Pallett, follows her way.

He’s been working on his third album for few years, to evolve seemingly banal story of a farmer named Lewis, who decides to free his homeland (called Spectrum) from the reign of witch and then he travels to the edge of the world to meet his God - Owen, to meet him and fight him. Although the plot seems absurd, Pallett describes there inner battles between passion and duty, personal depressions of an artist and fancily erotic scenes of unrestrained Lewis. Pallett, studied violist and composer, gives the space to Czech FILMharmony, his viola and piano and mixes that with soft electronics and diverse percussion ‘till Heartland seems like a operetta sung by no-singer. Heartland is the most impressive record of 2010 thanks to its diversified essence, obvious Pallett’s talent that guarantees every second to be interesting and important. He retains the humour, seriousness, satire, drama and catchy narration of this absurd story. Heartland is a funny and colourful work that deserves attention and applause.

(Don’t forget to check ranks 6-10 of 2010’s most impressive albums
and also 1-5 and 6-10 best pop singles of 2010.)